Former U.S. President Donald Trump announced Friday that he intends to sue the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), seeking damages ranging from $1 billion to $5 billion. The threat comes after the BBC apologized for what Trump described as a misleading edit of one of his speeches, though the broadcaster has indicated it does not intend to pay any damages.
Speaking to reporters aboard his private plane, Trump stated, “We’re going to sue them for a sum of between $1 billion and $5 billion, probably sometime next week. I think I have to do it. Even they admitted to cheating.”
Trump’s legal team had initially set a deadline, which expired Friday, for the BBC to retract its documentary or face legal action seeking compensation of “no less” than $1 billion. They also demanded a public apology and compensation for what they termed “grievous damage to his reputation and finances.”
The BBC issued a personal apology to Trump on Thursday, acknowledging that its editing of Trump’s statements was a “lapse in judgment.” However, the broadcaster maintained that there is no legal basis for a lawsuit.
The controversy surrounding the documentary led to the resignation of BBC Director-General Tim Davie and Head of News Deborah Turness on Sunday.
The documentary in question, which aired on the BBC’s “Panorama” program, spliced together three video clips from a Trump speech, creating the impression that he was inciting the January 6, 2021 riots. Trump’s lawyers have characterized the edit as “false and defamatory.”
DZWatch will continue to follow this developing story.
